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Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929
Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia

Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
About the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog       One-line catalog format

1793-1849 .... 1850s .... 1860s .... 1870s .... 1880s .... 1890s .... 1900s .... 1910s .... 1920s .... 1930s (not complete) .... Other Cascadia Catalogs

  
Individual Event Report
Event #90 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
The Washington Standard, cited by Rasmussen, describes the earthquake as being felt all over Olympia at about the same intensity, rattling doors and windows, and causing suspended items to sway.
TIME LOCATION MAGNITUDE MAX. INTENSITY FELT AREA
YR MO DAY HR MIN AM/PM Time
Type
LAT(N) LON(W) DEP
(km)
MAG Mag
Type
Felt
Plc.
Felt
St.
Inten-
sity
Int.
Type
Felt
Area
Felt
Area
Int.
Felt
Area
Units
1871  20  40  47.04  122.89        Olympia  WA           
N-WaS - 2578 WWC - 1639 - - RAS - 18 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1639  Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished  1981  Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993. 
Transcription: 187101210340000 47045-122890W R 01
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
18  Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476  1967   
Transcription: 18 1871 Jan. 21 03:40 Olympia 12 felt
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
2578  Washington Standard  1871  Jan. 21, 1871. p. 2, c. 4. Sat. weekly; known from U.W. Library, Pacific Northwest Collection card catalog. 
Transcription: AN EARTHQUAKE - Last evening about twenty minutes to eight o'clock, there was experienced all over this city a very distinct shock of an earthquake. The direction of the wave seemed to be about north and south. It just rather unceremoniously moved everything forward and back a couple of times and then passed on. The sensation produced was rather agreeable than otherwise, and we decidedly enjoyed being familiarized by a slight acquaintance with these inexplicable jards that terra firma so called is subject to. The shock was felt to about the same intensity all over town, rattling doors, windows and other loose articles, and causing the latter to vibrate very perceptibly when suspended from walls or ceilings.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
2413  Washington Public Power Supply System, "WPPSS Nuclear Project No. 2, Final Safety Analysis Report, Volume 1, Amendment 18"
September 1981 
1981  Table 2.5-6 
Transcription: 1871 Jan 20 Seattle, Wash. WG-2
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
2411  Washington Public Power Supply System, "WPPSS Nuclear Project No. 2, Final Safety Analysis Report, Volume 1, Amendment 18"
September 1981 
1981  Table 2.5-6 
Transcription: 1871 Jan 20 Olympia, Wash. R
 


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